1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a large number of methods and electronic data-processing systems for analysis/representation of management information processes and systems and to a computer-program product for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Management information systems (MIS) are an invention of the nineteen sixties. It was at that time, following the triumphs achieved in research centers, that the first attempts were made to apply this technology also for direct support of top management in strategic and leadership tasks. These attempts, as well as the second beginning in the nineteen eighties or early nineteen nineties (executive information systems (EIS)) were not rewarded with too much success.
With the advent and increasing spread of the “data warehouse” (DWH) technique, the 3rd wave of attempts to introduce MIS is now under way. This is taking place mainly under the “management cockpit” concept, on the basis of ultra-modern relational database techniques in combination with the most automated possible integration and aggregation of available on-line information about the corporation in question. This is made possible by the OLTP systems, such as SAP, that have now become widely available. Thus they make it possible to obtain a new quality of insight into and overview of even very large and possibly internationally networked corporations.
The main reason for the failure of the classical MIS technology and such beginnings/attempts in the nineteen sixties, eighties and nineties to also support management decisions and processes directly by electronic data-processing systems lies in the very inadequate degree of formalization and in the sometimes very great variance or variability of management information, processes and concepts. Heretofore management decisions and processes have been hostage to pronounced “modes” both of concepts and methods. However, technical (support) systems necessarily require a stable concept, reference and process framework in order to be able to reasonably work and be effective.
A further critical disadvantage lies in the relational database technique itself. It is merely able to represent 2-digit predicates (such as “x is_child_of y”) as tables. The search complexity and search times increase exponentially with the number of relations or tables. Every introduction of a further dimension, classification or structure therefore has a considerable adverse effect on the performance of the overall system. This is a very imposing limitation precisely for very poorly structured domains, such as in management support systems. Quite particularly, these systems are characterized by what is generally an unforeseeable large number of possible structuring features that are expressly desired or needed by the customers or users.
In addition, the existing prior art generally offers no kind of help in classifying such corporations and markets logically and in a manner that will also be stable over prolonged time. In fact, no stable, universally applicable classification system has even been formulated as yet. To the contrary, the many possible structuring features are treated in largely equivalent manner by the electronic data-processing systems and their developers and suppliers. This unnecessarily increases the overall system complexity, prevents portability of results, and makes the systems slow, cumbersome and frequently also impossible to maintain.
A problem that needs to be overcome includes developing a stable, generally valid, simple but also largely universally applicable basic classification for research, development, manufacturing, distribution and other processes. Such a classification must be designed so that it can be easily implemented in an appropriate electronic data-processing support-system architecture. In addition, a suitable flow-control principle based on this (electronic data-processing) architecture must be found for this purpose. Thus it will be necessary to address the problems alluded to in the foregoing: of diversity and ambiguity (resulting from the variability of the control requirements), of the exponential increase in complexity and the associated run-time behavior of the electronic data-processing systems, and of the overall system complexity and operability of such systems from the user's viewpoint.
The inventor has described methods and processes for overcoming the problems of the prior art.